Locked On Celtics – "BIG STEP: Jayson Tatum Returns to Practice | Return to Boston Celtics IMMINENT?"

Host: John Karalis
Release Date: February 10, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, John Karalis dives deep into Jayson Tatum’s encouraging return to Celtics practice, what it means for his imminent comeback, and the broader implications for Boston’s season trajectory. The episode also breaks down the new look of the Celtics lineup after the Nikola Vucevic trade and addresses fan questions about the Celtics’ salary cap and luxury tax position for next year.
(Skip ads, intros, and outros—focused on analysis and insight.)

1. Jayson Tatum Returns to Practice – Significance and Expectations

Key Discussion Points

• Tatum’s Assignment to Practice: The Celtics surprisingly announced that Jayson Tatum was assigned to the Maine Celtics for practice, scrimmaging with G-League teammates and newcomers.
  • "Shocking. Celtics announced in the middle of the day on Monday that, oh, by the way, Jayson Tatum has been assigned to the Maine Celtics...they're all going to practice together." (11:50)
• Controlled Practice, Not Full Scrimmage: Karalis clarifies this was not a full-speed five-on-five but more of a controlled, rehabilitative scrimmage, an important milestone in his ramp-up.
• Comparisons to Tyrese Haliburton’s Rehab: Drawing parallels to Haliburton’s approach, Karalis explains how these controlled situations help evaluate readiness without rushing back too soon.
• Mental Hurdles: Emphasizes the mental aspect—Tatum wants to come back as “100% Tatum,” not a reduced version.
  • "The one element that Shams Charania did mention...was Jayson Tatum wants to come back as Jayson Tatum. Not a percentage of Jayson Tatum. He wants to come back to as close to 100% of Jayson Tatum." (16:30)
• Projected Timeline: Original expectation was an early March return, and as of this update, Tatum seems on track.
  • "My original prediction was early March, and it seems like he might be on track for that. I feel like this is perfect timing." (18:20)
• Impact on Team Chemistry: Importance of Tatum reintegrating with new faces and lineups—especially learning on-court chemistry with Vucevic, Neemias Queta, and others.

Notable Quotes

• On Tatum’s rehab stage:
  • "The controlled elements of this rehab, I think, have been mostly accomplished. And now it's, can the brain send the messages to the feet and can the feet execute the messages that the brain is sending?" (14:40)
• On Tatum’s competitive return:
  • "Whenever he does play, it's going to be under a strict, strict minutes restriction. So at first he might even come off the bench." (16:50)
• Karalis’ outlook:
  • "Everything is actually progressing the way it should. This is Tatum on track to come back this year. All that self doubt stuff, understandable... He’s very clearly progressing and will return this year. So we’ll see. But great news, great news there." (20:10)

2. Celtics’ New Lineups Post-Vucevic Trade

Key Discussion Points

• Point Guard-Center Pairing: Karalis suggests matching centers to the point guard’s strengths—like a pitcher-catcher duo in baseball.
  • "The way I approached it was you, you kind of match point guard and center...figure out what center kind of accentuates the point guard and his strengths." (24:45)
• Derrick White as Starter: With only White and Pritchard as true ball-handlers, lineups should accentuate their games.
• Who Should Start?
  • Vucevic with Derrick White: Vucevic’s pick-and-pop and passing skills complement White’s cerebral, read-heavy style.
  • Queta with Pritchard: Pritchard plays best with Queta, who has developed strong pick-and-roll chemistry.
• Sam Hauser’s Role: Valued for shooting; Baylor Scheierman highlighted as a rebounding force; transitional plan is to slide Tatum in upon his return.
• Garza as Situational: Luca Garza isn't a fit for double-big lineups but remains a valuable, specific-use bench big man.

Notable Quotes

• On the starters:
  • "So starting it's Derek, Vuch, Jalen. I want shooting, so I want Sam. I want rebounding. Baylor Charman has been an incredible rebounder... Whenever Tatum comes back, slide him into. Maybe Baylor goes to the bench and slide Tatum into that and that now becomes Derek, Jalen, Jason, Sam and Vuch. Love it." (32:20)
• On Queta/Pritchard pairing:
  • "Keita has done an incredibly good job of learning the pick and roll and executing the pick and roll ... So I think he's perfect for a guy like Pritchard." (28:15)
• On Garza’s NBA future:
  • "I have a ton of respect for Garza...Just think he's just a very specific type of player, and there will be teams out there that need that very specific type of player, and he can go and make a few million dollars in the NBA." (35:30)

3. Cap, Tax, and Roster Flexibility: Dispelling Salary Myths

Key Discussion Points

• Fan Concern: A listener, Jesse T., worries that by ducking the luxury tax this year, the Celtics might waste next season simply to reset the repeater clock.
• Trade Deadline Moves: Karalis insists that the moves were about flexibility, not dodging expenses.
  • "They just barely got under the tax. They're $800,000 or so under the tax and they still have to fill roster spots. So they are threading the finest needle." (39:10)
• Apron Rules and Exceptions: With the team staying under the first luxury tax "apron," Boston maintains the flexibility to use their massive $27.7M trade exception and the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception (MLE) this summer.
• Vucevic’s Future: Unlikely to get paid more than the non-taxpayer MLE (projected ~$5M); will enter Al Horford “veteran contributor” territory.
  • "He's an unrestricted free agent...the max that he's going to go find on the open market is the non-taxpayer mid level, which is going to be like $5 million." (44:00)
• Aggressive Summer Expected: With only 6–7 players under contract and ample financial tools, the Celtics can be aggressive without tax concerns in 2026.
  • "You have plenty of space. You have plenty of room. Between $115, $120 million to $210 million, you have a lot of room to get to that line so you can start taking back more money." (47:05)
• Assurance to Fans:
  • "The Boston Celtics are going to make moves this summer in an effort to win next season. They want a championship." (41:20)
  • "If I'm somehow wrong about this, I will be the first person leading the charge, calling Bill Chisum cheap and all of that stuff. I do not think that's what this is." (49:40)
• This Year "All Gravy": 2025–26 is for experimentation and trying for a run, but next year is fully championship-focused.
  • "This season. All gravy. Go nuts. Hopefully this breaks right for the Celtics and they make a deep run. Next season is the team they're building specifically to win a championship." (53:00)

4. Memorable Quotes and Moments

• On Tatum’s mindset:
  • "He wants to come back as Jayson Tatum. Not a percentage of Jayson Tatum." (16:30)
• Optimism for next season:
  • "This is perfect timing. This is exactly what we want him to do, what I've wanted him to do. Work your way back, get your mental right, get your physical right. Come back, shake off the rust, figure it out." (18:50)
• On Celtics' direction:
  • "I would be shocked, shocked if the Celtics specifically made moves to get under the tax next year....I cannot say this any more clearly. The Boston Celtics are going to make moves this summer in an effort to win next season." (41:20)
• On lineup combinations:
  • "You want to finish with Keita, fine. You want to finish double big, fine. Any combination of those bigs, that's also fine." (36:50)

5. Timestamps for Key Segments

• Tatum Practice Update & What It Means: 11:50–20:10
• Lineups after the Vucevic Trade: 24:45–36:50
• Luxury Tax & Cap Flexibility Deep Dive: 39:10–53:20

6. Episode Summary

• Jayson Tatum's return to controlled practice is a major positive for his comeback timeline and the Celtics' playoff ambitions.
• The new Celtics lineups (post-Vucevic trade) are built to maximize the strengths of their ball-handlers and bigs. Tatum's return will further solidify rotations.
• Despite fears from fans, salary moves were made for flexibility, not to "duck" tax at the expense of competing. The Celtics are set up for aggressive team-building next summer, aiming directly at a championship.
• Karalis continually encourages optimism, careful patience with Tatum, and insists Boston is positioning for now—and even more so for next season.

For Further Discussion and Updates:
Karalis teases mailbag episodes, future updates from practice, and ongoing lineup debates as news develops.

Find John’s written work: Celtics on SI
Join the Supercast / Discord: lockedonceltics.supercast.com

(All quotes and timestamps referenced use the host John Karalis’ original language and style for an authentic recap.)